Clone Wars was excellent (I still have yet to see the "lost mission" episodes), and the action on the show was always top notch. But the eyes especially really do move much better in this show, and the body language in general (characters gesture in a very "natural" way) has also improved as well.

In terms of tone, so far it's a lot less dark than Clone Wars. And I'm more than okay with that. While I'm sure more "serious" episodes are on the way, for the time being, the series is content with just being a really fun adventure show. And that's good enough for me.

"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift--that is why it's called the present."

Agreed. Clone Wars, by its nature, was dark, even in the lighter episodes. There's a real moral ambivalence in the set-up, given that there is not really any side to cheer for. Even the Jedi are just pawns of Palpatine. Eveyone is being manipulated on all sides. And by the time you get to the final season, everything's hitting the fan, and the characters know there's nothing good coming. In a way, the complex nature of the premise is extremely mature (perhaps too mature for a "kids show"?), a far cry from the simple, basic morality of most cartoons.

Rebels, on the other hand, needs to be about hope, and a clear focus on good vs. evil stuff.

In the midst of playing catch up now that I've got some time to watch the shows on DVR. I may be only two episodes in, but I definitely like Rebels. The characters have been fleshed out pretty well, some really good voice acting, some classic Star Wars staging of scenes, and I like how the facial expressions are more exaggerated (the Disney touch to the franchise, I would imagine).

Probably wasn't noted here, but leading up to the show's premiere, Disney XD had been showing short stories that further fleshed out the personalities of the crew of the Ghost. Here's one Greg Weisman wrote giving us a better look at Kanan, Hera, and Chopper.